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Sheriff Quinn Colson and his former deputy Lillie Virgil find themselves on opposite sides of a case for the first time after a woman is found dead and three delinquent teens go on the run.Before he was an Army Ranger who came home to become Tibbehah County Sheriff and take down a corrupt system, Quinn Colson was a kid who got into trouble--a lot of it. So when juvenile delinquent TJ Byrd insists that she doesn’t know who killed her mother—an unreliable addict who has disappeared—Quinn’s inclined to believe her. But no one else does--not the town, not the sheriff in a neighboring county, not her mother’s older boyfriend, and certainly not Quinn’s friend and former deputy, U.S. Marshal Lillie Virgil.
 
The Byrd family has always been trouble, and sixteen-year-old TJ is known for petty theft, fighting, and general hellraising. She’s also no fool, and when she senses she’s about to take the fall for her mother’s murder, TJ, her boyfriend, her best friend, and her nine-year-old brother go on the run. As Lillie Virgil tracks the kids across a trail of burglaries, stolen cars and even a kidnapping, intent on bringing TJ to justice, Quinn sets out to find the truth back in Tibbehah. Someone has gone to a lot of violent trouble to make TJ and her friends the logical target of the investigation. It’s easy, and who cares about a bunch of lawless kids?
 
As the bloody evidence against TJ piles up, Quinn knows someone truly evil is at work here--and that puts TJ and her friends in more danger than they can imagine.

In the gripping novel "The Heathens" by Ace Atkins, we are introduced to Quinn Colson, a steadfast and dedicated investigator drawn into a sinister web of corruption, violence, and unsettling secrets. When a local convenience store clerk is brutally murdered in the fictional town of Tindall, Mississippi, Colson finds himself immersed in a community grappling with deep-seated racial tensions and a legacy of racial injustice. As Colson delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a dark and disturbing underworld of white supremacist groups and militia activity, punctuated by acts of violence and intimidation. With the stakes rising, Colson must navigate a treacherous path, facing hostility from certain quarters and encountering individuals with conflicting motives. The Heathens challenges readers to confront the insidious nature of racism, hatred, and the devastating consequences they can unleash upon a community. Ace Atkins's compelling storytelling and vivid portrayal of the American South make this book a thought-provoking and unsettling exploration of the lingering shadows of the past.